Today, it was time to put the Needletail dip behind me, and get back to what I enjoy doing - looking at birds in the fabulous Yorkshire countryside. After a few jobs this morning, Vicky and me took advantage of the gorgeous mid-October weather and headed up Nidderdale to look for the drake Lesser Scaup.
Back in the late '80s, I had twitched one here with my Dad which turned out to be a hybrid - I think it would have been Britain's second record (or thereabouts) back then, but it was not to be, so it was quite nice to head back over there to see the genuine article. We parked up at Ramsgill and walked south to Bouthwaite and the path to Gouthwaite Reservoir. It took me a while to locate the bird; it was not with the first two flocks of Tufted Ducks I looked through, but with a small group of birds a little further south. Having seen a number of hybrids in the York area in recent years, it was good to spend time watching this bird, soaking up its finer points, in case one turns up closer to home at some point. The bill was the key thing, with no black discernible on the bill tip at all. The head shape was the classic with a small peak at the rear crown. The upperparts were coarsely vermiculated, becoming darker towards the stern, which was quite visible even at a distance. The bird was the same size as the nearby Tufties. The distance and light weren't that good for phonescoping and it spent most of the time asleep, but I got a couple of short videos.
A large skein of Pink-footed Geese headed northwest, and plenty of Lapwings and common ducks were around the north end of the reservoir.
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